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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kick · file · hand · arm · tube · plane · last · lie

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. file — a document
  3. lie — to recline
  4. hand — help
  5. last — to go on
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. kick — in football
  8. tube — a container
  9. last — finally
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. file — a tool
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. tube — the underground
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — in cards
  20. file — a line of people
  21. plane — a tool
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com